The Mariemont Theatre will finally reopen soon.

Cindependent, the nonprofit that took over the 88-year-old cinema on Mariemont Square, announced Wednesday that it has crossed its $1 million Phase I fundraising goal and is now finalizing a grand opening date and hiring staff.

"We did it! Thank you to everyone!" founder and executive director Allyson West said in the WCPO report. "I have had the privilege of personally talking with so many people who have movie memories of the theatre, and people who want to get the lights back on and the doors back open as much as we do."

The milestone comes five months after Theatre Management Corporation was evicted from the building and removed every piece of equipment needed to show a film. Projectors, chairs, and popcorn makers were hauled out when the prior operator vacated in February. The original marquee letters were later found in a box tucked inside the building.

As reported earlier Wednesday, Cindependent was just $20,000 short of its target. The Cincinnati Business Journal reported the nonprofit actually raised $1.1 million, exceeding the goal, and is targeting a grand reopening by the end of August.

What the money buys

The $1 million replaces everything that was taken. West said the theatre is getting five new projectors, a new audio system, new screens, new seating and a new popcorn machine. She noted the new projectors will deliver crisper visuals than the old equipment.

"We've reached the starting line," West said.

The campaign started at $515,000 but expanded to $1 million after Cindependent gained access to the building and found the restoration required more work than anticipated. Volunteers scrubbed, cleaned and reassembled chairs alongside paid contractors.

What's different when the lights come back on

The theatre is now a registered ArtHouse Cinema through ArtHouse Convergence, meaning programming will lean toward independent films, classics, family screenings, and select new releases. Ticket prices will rise slightly: general admission goes from $10.25 to $12, and matinees from $7.75 to $8.50. The popular $5 Tuesdays stay unchanged.

West had signaled this timeline was coming. "If we can close this campaign out in July, we'll be able to bring staff and bring people back on site to start reopening the theater in August," she told WCPO on July 1, when the campaign stood at 90.2%.

That August push is now underway. Cindependent is hiring staff and finalizing the reopening date. The theatre first opened in December 1938; if the end-of-August target holds, it will have been dark for roughly six months.